Catholic Out-Powers SU Baseball

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Susquehanna baseball team fell behind in the first inning against Catholic and could not recover, eventually falling 21-4 in the Landmark Conference series-opening game.

SU (13-20, 2-11) had just nine hits to the Cardinals' (22-12, 9-4) 23. Ethan Rieker (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Twp.) and Gregg Uhlak (Ocean Gate, N.J./Central Regional) had two hits apiece to account for nearly half of the Crusaders' hits. Catholic right fielder Matt Greib collected a game-high four hits on the afternoon.

Four pitchers took the mound for Susquehanna, with Brian Wendig (West Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep) earning the starting nod. He lasted three innings and gave up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits. Ryan Lowe (Old Chatham, N.Y./New Lebanon) tossed the final three innings and surrendered only two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking none.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before Nick Kennedy (Brookeville, Md./Good Council) was able to make it 2-1 by scoring on a Catholic throwing error after he had reached base on a one-out single.

From there on out, it was all Catholic as the Cardinals scored one run in the second and two in the third for a 5-1 lead before erupting for eight runs in the fourth inning on eight hits and a SU error.

Catholic added one run in the fifth and five more in the sixth as SU fell into a 19-1 hole after six innings. The Crusaders were able to get one run back in the seventh on a Ty Raubenstine (Elizabethville, Pa./Upper Dauphin Area) single to center that scored Greg Stellon (Chadds Ford, Pa./Tatnall School).

The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the eighth and while Susquehanna kept fighting. The Crusaders plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Rieker two-RBI double, but the game ended on a fly ball to centerfield.

Weather pending, SU and Catholic will play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.